Revelations
by Quezacolt
Summary: Max and her clone Sam are thrown back in time by a nomalie with an amazing power...Dark Angel and Btvs Crossover
1. Chapter 1

Revelations

* * *

Chapter One: The Fourth Day

* * *

_"On this, the fourth day of the Siege on Terminal City, a new development has caused mixed emotions through a struggling community. The Transgenics currently situated inside the fence this morning raised a flag declaring their independence. Angry crowds gathered quickly with both sides apparently waiting to see who will make the first move in this war that has erupted between humans and the genetically engineered…"_

_"The 'Trannies' as named by local residents, are currently in the fourth day of the Siege at Terminal City. Reports have been flooding in all over the country of Transgenic activity, as the genetically engineered soldiers arrive from all over to join the standoff, despite the tightening of security around the perimeter of the wasteland, it appears the beings are still managing to avoid the authorities as the numbers of Transgenics inside Terminal City rise…"_

"_These Transgenics are bred killing machines. I advise no one approach them and report them to the Transgenic Response Team immediately. They have no qualms about murdering innocent people, and although we have several plans in motion, I insist that people leave the handling of these extremely dangerous genetically engineered soldiers to professionals." _

"_Transgenic deaths by the hands of vigilantes in Seattle has been rising dramatically over the last few days and crowds become impatient with the lack of response in the situation in Terminal city by authority figures. Police commissioners have announced they have 'plans in motion' and insist that people do not take things into their own hands."_

Max sighed, throwing down the remote to Alec's television. Every channel was announcing something about Terminal City and it was annoying the hell out of Max, especially when she was trying to avoid the subject all together. A small cheering crowd had gathered in the rec room, apparently two X5's had started a brawl, and of course, Alec stood in the midst of the crowd taking bets on the outcome. The noise began adding to the headache that was growing, Max stormed from the room and past OC, who was talking to Jem and her baby and toward the highest building she could find.

The standoff between the Transgenics and 'ordinaries' as Mole liked to taunt them was escalating, and people all over were tensing for the blood that was bound to be spilt when both sides attacked. It was rare to hear laughter in TC anymore, often it was forced and short lived in the halls, only certain people seemed so confident about the Siege, that they had no problems laughing the situation off.

Max had been spending more and more time alone, she had been taking care of 'George' the snake C.J left behind in the genetics lab. Logan had managed to get out back to Joshua's and was their contact on the outside. A small group of X5's had found a series of hidden tunnels that connected to the main sewer system and with a little disguising, anyone wondering the sewers couldn't tell the entrance to TC from any other solid wall. It allowed people to get food and supplies without being caught by the forces on the outside. But like everything else, it came with a price. Several X5's had been killed by ordinaries on the outside while getting supplies.

"Max?" The voice quickly broke her out of her reverie, and she spun around to see a familiar figure. With speed, Max jumped to her feet, not knowing how to greet the figure in front of her.

"Uh…" was all she managed to get out as the figure sat down on the edge of the building. Max followed suit, staring at her clone, slightly suspicious.

"What brings you back here?" She asked, as Sam stared at her fingernails.

"Well," The 453 began, raising her eyebrows, "I heard my sister was in the war for all Transgenics. Decided to come help out."

"I didn't think I would ever see you again." Max began, wondering what could bring the clone to act so friendly after their last icy meeting.

"Yeah, well, me too. But my husband decided he couldn't be involved with something 'morally evil' so he left and I really have nothing to lose at this point."

Max nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Sam nodded.

"Me too." They sat in silence for several minutes as the sun lowered in the distance, the sky needle visible on the horizon.

Finally, after the slightly strained silence, Sam turned to Max, and began twiddling her thumbs slightly.

"Look, I'm sorry about the entire 'trying to hand you over to white' thing. I mean, if I had to, I won't deny that I would do the entire thing the exact same way, cause that was my son and husband he had hostage-"

Max nodded.

"I know. You don't need to apologize. If you hadn't tried to turn me over, I would have skipped town and left my family behind. A decision I would have regretted deeply." Sam nodded in agreement.

"So your leading the war now huh? You breeding partner told me Sandman made you into the 'chosen one'. Always going for the attention aren't you?" Sam smiled, but Max looked up quickly in surprise.

"How did you know Alec was my breeding partner?" She asked in indignation. Sam smiled.

"Oh, yeah he was bragging about it in the rec room. Seems he has quite the story to tell, he's charging people for the details."

Max ground out her teeth.

"I'll give him details," She hissed, rubbing her fist. Sam just laughed. There was a comfortable silence as both sat pondering their own thoughts, watching the sun lower and the police cars swarm outside the fence.

It was with a bang that made both females jump, spinning around to find a large Transgenic behind them.

"Woah, buddy," Sam muttered, as they stared at it's black scaly skin and blood red eyes, the nomalie eyeing them with predatory hunger in it's eyes.

"Hey," Max began, taking a small step toward it, hand outstretched in an open gesture, "How ya' going?" It was with speed she didn't expect that the nomalie charged forward, knocking her down, as she slid across the roof and over the edge. With only one hand stopping Max from fully flying over the edge, she scrabbled slightly as Sam's arm leaned over and in a quick movement pulled Max back up onto solid ground. The nomalie let out a growl from the other side of the roof top as both of the X series took up defensive stances, before it swished it's claws in the stabbing motion, and both X's felt a large tug as something pulled at them from behind.

To Alec, who had come to see if Sam had managed to find a very pissed-off Max (He was hoping they hadn't killed each other, but there was bound to be an upside if they had.) stopped in the doorway of Max's favorite sitting place, at the sight of both Sam and Max glaring down on a large black nomalie. He was about to jump forward, when the monster clicked it claws and two large bolts of light, almost like lightening exploded from his hands and hit both X5's on the chest. Both clones flew backwards, high into the air, before they disappeared in a clap of light. The nomalie turned around, staring at the momentarily shocked soldier, before it too vanished it a flare of white light.

* * *

"Is this the only way?" Buffy Summers asked in distaste, watching several drops of her own blood fall to the floor. In an attempt to track a demon who had attacked and killed several innocent people before disappearing in a flash of light, Willow had deduced it must be using some kind of self made portal to travel around. She had created the 'Circle of Sebecus' that would force the portal to deposit it's demonic rider in the middle, essentially trapping it. Willow looked up from the book she was reading, smiling slightly.

"Sorry Buff, slayers blood is the only way to activate the circle."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste, but only for a second. A white light exploded over their heads, sending them flying to the floor as smoke filled the room and around Buffy her friends choked and spluttered.

"Everyone Okay?" She asked, crawling to her knees and trying to see through the white. There was a cough and a small scream as someone ran from the room.

"Oh my god!" Cordy's voice filtered through, "This is toxic! You know what it's doing to me lungs?" There was a chuckle as Buffy sighed, climbing to her feet, well aware the monster could be trapped a few feet in front of her unseeing eyes.

"We can only hope." Came Xander's voice, "And yeah I'm fine. So is Cordelia."

"I'm okay," Came Willow's voice,

"And me." There was Oz.

Everyone was fine.

"Good," Said Buffy as the smoke began to clear and they all gathered for their first look at their new prisoners.

"Hi," Said Buffy to the two identical women, both their arms in defensive stances, both trapped inside the circle, "Looks like we caught the wrong fish Wills."

Willow shrugged,

"Wrong time wrong place I'm going to assume. I am curious to know how they used a Portal. Are you two witches?" Her eyes were gleaming with hope, as both the twins turned to glance at each other.

The one dressed in the black leather coat (The other one's was brown) was the first to speak.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around. Her eyes landed on Buffy. She appeared to be sizing them up. "Are you from Manticore?"

Eyes wide, Buffy turned to look at Willow, who shrugged.

"Noo…" She began, "And you're here in Sunnydale, California. Why were you using a Portal?"

The black jacketed woman looked at the other.

"Sunnydale?" She asked, "How did we get here?"

The brown jacket answered immediately,

"That damn Nomalie must have the power of transportation or something."

The black jacket rolled her eyes,

"Great. We have to get back to Terminal City. Who knows what will happen when they realize we're missing."

Xander looked at them.

"Mind filling us in?"

Black Jacket crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, right. Says the people who's pad we're currently stuck in." for emphasis, she kicked at the circle edge, where Willow's shield came into operation and repelled it. "What are you anyway?"

Looking up from where Black-Jacket's foot had connected with the shield, Buffy narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I'm a slayer, he's a werewolf (she pointed at OZ, then at willow) she's a witch."

Xander piped up, inserting his usual humor into the conversation.

"And I'm a smart-ass, and Cordy outside is a drama-queen. Anything else you need to know?"

Black-Jacket looked at brown-jacket, giving her a 'they're clearly crazy' look.

"Can we go now?"

Buffy shook her head.

"What are you, and why were you using a portal. Then you can go."

Brown-jacket answered.

"We're trans-" Black-jacket elbowed her, "sisters. Identical twins. And we have no idea how we got here."

"Oh yeah, what's Manticore then?" Willow asked smugly.

Black-jacket side glanced at brown jacket before answered.

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" Xander asked as the sisters exchanged looks.

"You," Black jacket continued, "have never heard of Terminal city? Or the hold up at Jam Pony? Or the Transgenic threat? Where have you been?"

Buffy looked at Willow, who shook her head negatively. She shrugged.

"No, I haven't." She looked around her living room (where the circle had been made, currently her mother was staying with some friends).

Behind them, Cordelia slipped into the room, glaring at the two identical women standing in the circle.

"They don't look black and scaly to me." She said loudly, ignoring the looks she was getting off the people around her. The twins looked at each other.

"Black and scaly?" Brown-jacket asked, "With red eyes by any chance?"

Buffy perked up.

"Yeah, you seen him?"

Black-jacket nodded.

"Yeah, he's a transgenic. Like us. We we're fighting him when we ended up here."

"Okay, what the hell is a transgenic?" Buffy asked, looking between them.

Black jacket cocked her head to the side.

"We're not speaking until you let us outta here."

Buffy glanced at Willow and nodded.

Two unarmed women couldn't be a match for a slayer, a witch, a werewolf and two humans? Right?

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Revelations Part 2

A/N: Thanks to EminemIsCool for reminding me to update. Sorry for the wait! Reviews appreciated!

X X X

The minute the Shield was lowered, Max threw herself from the ring, closely followed by Sam as they threw themselves past the momentarily stunned figures. The blonde was the first to react, throwing herself in a flying tackle toward Max, but the transgenic was engineered to be quicker and smarter, Max threw herself into the air, spinning over the blonde's outstretched fingers and landing gracefully on her feet, kicking the blondes back, sending the teen smashing into a wall. The boy who had claimed to be a werewolf threw a left hook toward her, but she grabbed his elbow and twisted it back, watching him grimace in pain before she kicked him in the stomach watching as he flew backwards into the wall, where he slid down, not moving. The brown haired girl, Cordy had jumped out of the way of the fighting, standing in the corner, Max automatically sensing fear and weakness, dismissed her as an opponent. as the other boy (The smart-ass) began grappling with Sam, who with super strength, threw him easily over her shoulder. Wills, the red head watched the proceedings silently as the two identical twenty-something year olds walked determinedly toward the front door, she muttered a few words and both liberated soldiers found they couldn't open the door at all.

"What the hell is going on?" 452 muttered, turning around to meet the blonde, who was aiming a well placed punch. Max intercepted it, relying on her fast reflexes, as the her opponents speed and force seemed to increase in velocity, almost matching her own, Max connected with a kick to the girl's shins, before pinning her against the wall by her neck.

"What the _hell _are you?" The transgenic asked fiercely, looking around to see Sam backing three teens into a corner, the fourth, the red head, lying unconscious on the ground.

The blonde shook her head.

"What the hell are you?"

"Looks like we have a stalemate." Max commented. "How about this for a deal. I let you go, we all sit down and we both, _both _tell the truth. Then, when and if we're both on the right side, you let us go back to Seattle. If not, we take you as a threat, and we forcefully go back to Seattle. Deal?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes, but one look at her diminished forces and her situation and she gave a stiff nod.

"Alright," Max said, moving away from the blonde who rubbed her throat, "My name is Max. This is my clone, Sam."

The blonde narrowed her eyes as they walked back into the lounge, watching as boy-werewolf woke up the red head.

"Riiight. I'm Buffy, This is Xander, Cordelia, Willow and Oz. Your her clone?" She asked Sam. Sam, in her brown jacket, nodded.

"Yeah, my designation is X5-453. Max is X5-452."

Buffy raised a skeptical eyebrow. "What are you?"

Max answered.

"We're transgenics. Genetically engineered super-soldiers, bred to serve. We we're killing machines. Classified in group X5. The first groups, X1, X2, X3 and X4 failed. The children died. In 2009, a few months before the pulse, twelve of us escaped. I was one of those twelve. We we're only kids. We stayed low. A little less then a year ago, I was captured by Manticore, the place that made us, a secret military facility. I escaped but went back and released all the transgenics. Manticore was destroyed that night. We've been hunted ever since."

Sam looked at the clone, as both smiled, as if sharing a private joke.

Buffy glared.

"Yeah, right. 2009? Give me a break. And what the hell is the pulse?"

Max stared.

"The pulse…you know! The day the terrorists detonated a bomb over America frying every computer and sending the former super power to be a third world county over night?"

Buffy glanced at her friends.

"That makes no sense. Nothing like that has ever happened!"

Sam sighed.

"What are you people talking about? It's pretty hard to miss!"

Buffy stood up, pulling back the closed curtains to reveal a sight that made both transgenics gasp in surprise.

A pristine neighborhood, every house was perfect, none had signs that they had been affected by anything that had every sent the world spiraling into chaos. They looked like the pulse had never even happened.

"We've never heard of anything like the pulse. And, it happens to be 1998, we haven't even hit the millennium yet."

Max scoffed. How could they be in 1997? Impossible.

"Yeah, right. How would we be able to go back in time? I ask you."

Sam stared at her twin.

"I-I know how." Everyone focused their attention on her. "They we're experimenting on giving certain soldiers time travel ability. Apparently they wanted to go back and 'rectify' certain mistakes made."

"The escape." Max said quickly, "Great. Now we're stuck here in the _past _where we haven't even been made yet with a Nomalie who can go wherever, whenever."

"Nomalie?" Asked Oz, speaking for the first time.

Sam nodded.

"Like us, but the earlier versions. They we're made with mistakes and locked away. Usually they had too much animal DNA and turned vicious."

Willow sniffled slightly.

"That's horrible!"

Sam shrugged,

"That's Manticore."

Buffy stared at the clones.

"So if you were raised to be soldiers, does that mean you've killed people?"

Max nodded. "Yes."

"How many?" Buffy asked, suddenly cold. Max shrugged,

"I couldn't tell you. We we're trained to kill. And we did. We killed with our bare hands and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret it."

"So," Buffy said slowly, her eyes narrowed to slits, "Your from the future. Where apparently something big happens and now America is in Poverty. You we're sent back in time and on top of that, you've killed countless people, as a genetically engineered killing-machine." She stopped, glaring at the intruders, before turning back to the red head, who was standing rather clumsily, her hand almost white gripping the werewolf's elbow. "Will, can you send them back to wherever the hell they came from? Cause or else I'm going to get violent."

Willow looked as if she was trying to focus.

"I-I'm sorry Buffy. I d-don't think I can…I-I…Oz?" She looked up at him, "Catch me?" With only a second to work out the sense behind her words, Oz automatically stooped as Will's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted backwards.

"What did you do to her?" Xander demanded, stepping forward and helping Oz lift her onto the couch. Sam shrugged.

"She'll be fine. It'll wear off in a couple of hours." She looked at her sister, but Max's eyes we're focused like tiger-like intensity on Buffy's hand, which was repeatedly clenching into a fist. Sensing anger and almost hatred radiating brilliantly from the girl, Max looked up and cocked her head to the side.

"Well, We'll be going if you don't mind. Lot's of things to do you know, find a way home, etcetera, etcetera."

Buffy glared.

"Your not going anywhere. We're going to find you a way home, and as soon as we do, your gone." In a heart stopping second, there was a thump from the front door as through it, walked an elderly man, who by the look on Buffy's face, she knew.

"Buffy?" He asked, confused, eyes roaming from the unconscious girl on the sofa, to the circle drawn on the floor to rest on the two strangers who looked very much identical standing in the living room. "What's going on?"

"Giles!" The brown haired girl, Cordy, spoke before Buffy could even open her mouth, throwing herself forward and pulling the man into an apparently unwilling hug. "Oh Giles! Thank god you're here! You have to do something! Buffy is trying to kill us all again!" Buffy herself rolled her eyes, but turned quickly back to watch their prisoners. It was too late. Buffy felt her blood run slightly colder as she realised the two women, had vanished. Xander stepped forward, mouth hanging open, before turning his incredulous eyes to Buffy.

"Where did they go?" He asked. He followed her line of sight to an open window. Apparently, when Giles opened the door, the spell broke, allowing the killers to escape.

"Uh, guys?" They turned at Oz's voice, to face an empty couch.

"I think they took Willow."

Uh oh.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_Revelations_

_Previously: _

"So," Buffy said slowly, her eyes narrowed to slits, "Your from the future. Where apparently something big happens and now America is in Poverty. You we're sent back in time and on top of that, you've killed countless people, as a genetically engineered killing-machine." She stopped, glaring at the intruders, before turning back to the red head, who was standing rather clumsily, her hand almost white gripping the werewolf's elbow. "Will, can you send them back to wherever the hell they came from? Cause or else I'm going to get violent."

* * *

"Giles!" The brown haired girl, Cordy, spoke before Buffy could even open her mouth, throwing herself forward and pulling the man into an apparently unwilling hug. "Oh Giles! Thank god you're here! You have to do something! Buffy is trying to kill us all again!" Buffy herself rolled her eyes, but turned quickly back to watch their prisoners. It was too late. Buffy felt her blood run slightly colder as she realised the two women, had vanished. Xander stepped forward, mouth hanging open, before turning his incredulous eyes to Buffy.

"Where did they go?" He asked. He followed her line of sight to an open window. Apparently, when Giles opened the door, the spell broke, allowing the killers to escape.

"Uh, guys?" They turned at Oz's voice, to face an empty couch.

"I think they took Willow."

Uh oh.

* * *

And now:

* * *

Everything was white. She was floating. She knew that far. Willow could feel the gentle pulse of the Earth beneath her, the wash of magic flowing like an ocean, consuming her. That was before she dropped back into reality.  
As the red head opened her eyes, cracking them only slightly, assaulted by the bright lights and the headache that invaded her mind, the last dregs of her pleasant dreams falling away like rainwater, the unpleasant memories of the past few hours surfaced, making her groan slightly, her eyes widening. What would she find? Buffy and the others fighting the time-travelers in a battle to the end? The clones trussed up and sour?

What she expected to see, and what she actually saw as her eyes opened fully after several second like minutes was very different. Willow's confusion grew as she looked around the warehouse she was apparently lying in. Her left wrist was bound to one of the pillars, the dusty floor making her sneeze slightly, the cold cement chilling her despite her large woolly jumper. Her head throbbed, no doubt from when Sam elbowed her to the neck, effectively knocking her unconscious. A short distance away stood two identical black motorbikes and beside that, a small table covered in various instruments that fearfully reminded her of the tools she had seen on the wartime movies, when the informant was tortured for information.

She gulped; hoping against hope that this was a joke of the Scooby gang, but inside, she knew the clones had escaped, taking her, and possibly someone else with them. In the distance, Willow could hear faint voices coming from outside, getting closer as she watched the two large metal doors at the opposite end of the warehouse.  
"We can't just torture her for information, it's wrong. You know what Manticore did to us, I won't inflict that apon someone else for just may be innocent is this." The voice that answered, although identical, was slightly angrier.  
"I'm not living in 1997 for the rest of my life Max. If you don't want to be here, then don't be, but I'm not letting her go until we know everything she does, and why the hell she brought us here."  
"Look at this world Sam! It's different to the one we know! Look at the houses and the people who waved at us in the street, this isn't like Seattle! It isn't a dog eat dog world here, these people have no idea what they've done! For all we know, this nomalie could be totally responsible for this entire thing. She may not know anything, Sam!"  
"Well," Came Sam's slightly smug reply, "We'll soon find out, won't we?"

With that last comment the doors swung open with a bang and the two soldiers strode inside, both with smiles on their faces, Max's a little more strained then that of her clone.  
"Well, finally the sleeping beauty is awake." Came Sam's gloating voice, wheeling the trolley closer to the girl and sitting down beside her. "Now, we're going to ask some questions, and you, well, your going to answer us clearly and precisely. Got it?" She picked up a long pair of tweezers, as Willow's eyes flashed from both clones in abject fear.  
"Okay," Sam said gloatingly, "I want to know exactly how you brought us here, and why. Start talking or your pretty little nose gets a one-way trip to broken. And you won't enjoy it, trust me."

Willow glanced in fear at the tweezers, before back at Max, whose face was concentrated on ignoring the going's on around her and focused purely on one of the black bikes.  
"We didn't bring you here on purpose." Willow said slightly indignant, "We we're only trying to catch a monster that had killed several people and disappeared in bursts of white light (Max looked up), so I called forward the Circle of Sebecus to intercept any portals being used at that time that match the description and to deposit it's traveler in the circle field. You were in the portal at the time I assume, so you were dropped off in the circle, instead of your next destination." Sam blinked slightly.  
"Well, you know who we are. But we don't seem to know who you are. How do you and your little friends know about all this stuff? This world doesn't seem to be a very informed one."

Willow sighed, deciding to get the truth out of the way first. After all, they had made a deal back in Buffy's lounge room.  
"Like I said earlier, Buffy is the slayer."  
"Which means nothing to us." Max interjected, stepping forward, a dangerous glint in her eye. Willow felt more nervous.  
"There's a prophecy, one girl in all the world, born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires and to stop the swell of their numbers. Buffy is the slayer, with skills formidable enough to stop evil in it's tracks."  
Max and Sam exchanged an amused glance.  
"Okay, how do you know if someone's a vampire or not?"  
Willow sighed.  
"They're a walking corpse, so that's usually where you start." Max shrugged.  
"And the others, they're all…what exactly?"  
"Like I said," Willow said slightly annoyed, "I'm a witch, Xander is normal, Oz is a werewolf, Cordy is…well, Cordy, that's the entire point of her existence. Giles is a watcher; it's his job to train Buffy. And that's all. We call ourselves the slayerettes."

Max raised an eyebrow, as Sam casually twirled the tweezers around her fingers as if torturing someone was the most natural thing in the world. Willow shifted slightly, hiding her bound hands behind her back as she tried to squirm out of them, waiting for Max and Sam to stop paying attention for a few moments so she could utter a small spell to help.  
"Okay," Sam continued in her line of questioning, "How do you get us back to the future?" Willow winced.  
"I'm a witch, I can't send people back and forward in time, I'm not that powerful. To get back, I suppose we would have to make another circle and hope to catch this nomalie. If we can catch him, I should be able to transfer his ability to a Morace Stone. That way you can go back to your time. But it's complicated, and I would need Buffy here for her slayer blood."

Sam raised an eyebrow.  
"Good try kiddo. Get all your friends here so they can take us back to that place of yours and hold us captive? I don't think so. You do this alone."  
Willow slammed her hands against the cement behind her as the rope disintegrated into nothingness from her magic. Sam and Max automatically took up defensive stances, but Willow muttered only a few words under her breath when Sam and Max found themselves behind an invisible barrier.  
"Look." Willow said quietly, but oddly menacingly, "No matter what, we are going to help you get back. But you two need to stop acting like jerks and start helping, us help you. I don't care who you are, or what you've done. I only want to get you back to your time. Got it?"  
Sam raised an eyebrow.  
"How do we know we can trust you?"  
"You don't." Answered Willow, lowering her hands and the force shield, "But right now, neither of us have any choice but to believe in the other."  
Sam shrugged, throwing the tweezers over her shoulder.  
"Good enough for me. So, lunch anyone?"

Willow frowned by the suddenly change in attitude as the clone walked over to one of the bikes and rummaged in a bag beside it. Willow decided to ask the question.  
"How did you guys buy the bikes when you don't have any money?"  
Sam raised an eyebrow.  
"Who said anything about buying?"  
Willow suddenly felt cold. She nodded slightly, mouth dry.  
"Well, Should I go get Buffy and the others? We can't do this without them. And I need to pick up some more materials; I only had one orb of kaylash and mine was damaged when you landed in the circle."  
Sam nodded toward Max, who nodded.  
"Here." Was all that was said, as Willow caught the cell phone, which was thrown at her.  
Willow nodded slightly nervously, pressing in a familiar number.  
"Oh, hey Giles. Can I speak to Buffy?"

* * *

Buffy tapped her fingers lightly against the table, ignoring the deep, bubbling guilt that was gnawing away at her stomach. She had let her guard down, and thanks to her, Willow was gone. Taken by those circus freaks who could be who-knows-where doing who-knows-what. Around her, Giles, Xander, Cordelia and Oz we're searching through books, trying to find a solution to a problem. Sitting around Buffy always hated. She sighed as the sound of more page turning met her ears.

"I'm going-" She began, before the shrill sound of the phone reached her ears. Giles shot her a look, before picking up the receiver.  
"Hello? What? Willow? What's going on?"  
Hearing this, everyone looked up, jumping from his or her chairs and toward Giles, hands outreached for the phone. Seeing this, Giles took a step back, everyone falling into a pile at his feet. He listened for a minute, ignoring the group at his feet trying to untangle themselves, before he held it out.  
"Buffy, Willow needs to speak to you." A hand reached out, unsure whose, Giles gave it the phone, which turned out to be Cordelia, who lifted it to her ear, her other hand pushing Xander's face away.  
"Willow!" She said, almost happily, "Oh, your alright! Fantastic! Does this mean I can stop book searching now? Giles is like a slave driver he- oh. You want to speak to Buffy. Fine."

The phone was passed around several more times, before the struggling figure at the bottom of the pile managed to get it.  
"Oh, Hi W-willow." Buffy stuttered out, crushed by the people above her. "What's up?"  
She listened for a few seconds before her face-hardened.  
"Can we trust them? Uh-huh. Yeah. All right. We'll take care of it. Meet? Yeah. At school, it's neutral. Yeah. All right. See-ya." She looked up at Giles and threw him the phone, ignoring his amused stare as she used her super human strength to push the figures off her. There was a series of 'Ow's' before everyone managed to stand up.  
"Okay people," Buffy said quickly as the other's fell into line, relieved looks on their faces, from Willow being okay, or from being free of the human pyramid Buffy couldn't tell. "Willow told me the clones want to go home and are willing to compromise. Xander, Cordy," She said sharply, "I need you two to buy the things we need for another circle of Sebecus. Willow tells me the list is still by her laptop."  
Xander saluted.  
"Yes ma'am. You can count on us." Buffy nodded.  
"Alright people. We're setting up this gig in the school. Oz, Willow says someone needs to pick up a…Morace Stone…yeah, that from her house. Can you take care of that?"  
Oz nodded tightly.  
"Got it. I'll meet you down at school." Buffy watched them leave. She turned to Giles.  
"Giles. We need weapons. Lots of weapons. Just in case."

* * *

As both Buffy and Giles entered the school, each feeling nervous, axes and swords in hands, they kept their eyes peeled for signs of Willow.  
"We'll set up here." Buffy whispered, dropping a bag full of various herbs. Giles followed suit, taking one last scan of the perimeter before beginning to set up the circle. Behind them, Xander and Cordy strolled in, each carrying their stocks, closely followed by Oz, who was carrying a palm sized, deep black stone.  
"Anyone see our visitors?" Buffy whispered. Xander shook his head.  
"No sign. You reckon' they'll turn up?" The others continued talking, as Buffy stopped. Her super sensitive hearing picked up the smallest sniffle that the others would dismiss as an everyday sound. Buffy froze.

Silence quickly followed. She had kept tabs on everyone around her and none had made the sound in question. Assaulted with sudden suspicious as the others watched her in interest, Buffy looked up, seeing three pairs of eyes, two rather like a cat, one staring in fear, staring at her from the roof above them. The two clones we're gripping Willow, each staring down. Buffy tightened her hold on the dagger she had brought, as the others followed her gaze. They appeared to be sitting without anything to suspend them, and that was the thing that made her friends jump in fear as they noticed the object of Buffy's stare.

Cordy screamed. Xander yelped. Giles raised an axe.  
With a quick flip, all three figures fell to the ground, landing with a thump.  
"Are you okay?" Max asked the middle figure, who looked pale and close to collapsing.  
Oz rushed forward, as Max and Sam almost slithered from the girl's side and into the shadows.  
"Are you okay?" He asked quickly. Willow nodded, eyeing Giles and Buffy, both still holding up their weapons.  
"Fine…" Buffy muttered, lowering soon after Giles. "Let's get this party started shall we?"  
No sooner had these words left her mouth when around them, the lights flickered out.  
"What the hell?" Xander asked, ignoring Cordy, who was gripping his arm in fear.  
Confronted by darkness, weapons we're suddenly drawn and the group converged closer, the two clones doing the same.

"Well," Came a new voice from the darkness, "What do we have here?"

Tbc…


End file.
